Hey guys I could really use some help with making a decision. I was accepted to Georgetown law with a $120,000 scholarship and recently I got off the waitlist for Cornell, but they are only offering me $45,000. I really want to work in Big law in New York after graduation and I know that Cornell has great placement numbers for that, but it is hard to say no to the type of money I am being offered by Georgetown. I would be grateful to hear some of your opinions.

I had to make a similar decision between Georgetown and Cornell, except the scholarships were similar, and I ended up picking Cornell. I'm honestly really happy with my choice and don't regret picking Cornell over Georgetown whatsoever. I can mention a few considerations that you may want to keep in mind when making your decision though. First, you should have an idea of whether you'll want to practice in NY or DC after. Although Cornell students are able to get to DC and Georgetown students easily have access to NY, it's convenient going to school that is near/focuses on your desired market.

Second, class size makes a huge difference I think on the experience at each school. Cornell's class is under 200 and I recognize every student and have spoken to almost every student at least once. Because of the size (and isolation which I'll touch on), people at Cornell are extra friendly I like to think and everyone genuinely gets to know each other fairly well. While this has been great for me so far, one downside is that it can sometimes feel like being at a small high school because of the gossip that comes up from time to time. Georgetown, on the other hand, has a class of over 500 and takes about 100 transfers (compared to around 5 at most at Cornell). That alone creates a very different experience where you simply won't be able to know your whole class as well and I presume this affects camaraderie.

Third, Georgetown is located in downtown DC so you're at the center of a major city. Cornell is the complete opposite since it is in an isolated college town. I think that since there isn't much else to do in Ithaca students tend to be "forced" to get to know each other better and hang out more outside of class. My impression is also that since we are so isolated, our class is probably a bit younger on average because it's harder for older students to relocate families to Ithaca and there's not really much reason to be here otherwise. One downside to this though is that I also am convinced that Cornell students put much more time into studying than students at peer schools. With Georgetown, it seems that students would likely fall more into the type of student that shows up for class and then goes home, leaving less interaction with other students. I could be wrong but that's just my impression. Also, while I love this tightknit experience at Cornell, I know some people that really don't like it and hate being in such an isolated city.

Finally, be sure to consider the cost of living in your equation when deciding on financials. Although rent prices in Ithaca are more expensive than they should be, living in DC will obviously be more expensive. However, I don't think that will equate the financial aid provided. Hopefully my insight is somewhat helpful. Feel free to pm me if you have any more questions.